High-Performance MoP-Mo<sub>2</sub>C/C Heterogeneous Nanoparticle Catalysts for Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution and Oxidation Reactions
Yujin Huang, Xiaolan Li, Pei Kang Shen, Cheng Yang, Jinliang Zhu
Abstract
The slow kinetics of the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxidation reaction (HOR) must be upgraded to achieve a renewable hydrogen cycle. Transition metal phosphides and transition metal carbides exhibit excellent activity toward diverse catalytic reactions. The synthesis of MoP-Mo 2 C heterogeneous nanoparticles coated with a porous carbon network (MoP-Mo 2 C/C) via a one-step heat treatment was reported, which exhibited a low overpotential at 10 mA cm –2 (102.1 mV), low Tafel slope (53.1 mV dec –1 ), and excellent stability (96 h) for the HER. In addition, MoP-Mo 2 C/C exhibited excellent catalytic performance toward the HOR, with an exchange current density of 1.40 mA cm –2 . Density functional theory simulations indicated that the electronic structure of MoP-Mo 2 C/C was optimized, and its Gibbs free energy was approximately zero, which is the origin of the fast reaction kinetics. This work provides a promising strategy for designing high-performance bifunctional electrocatalysts.